Rajasthan Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1954
No: 16 Dated: Aug, 06 1954
The Rajasthan Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1954
Act No. 14 of 1954
An Act to facilitate the activities in connection with the Bhoodan Yagna initiated by Shri Acharyu Vinoba Bhave and to provide for the constitution of a Bhoodan Yagna Board, the donation of land to the said Board, the distribution of land received in donation to landless persons or for Community purposes and to provide for matters ancillary thereto.
Be it enacted by the Rajasthan State Legislature in the fifth year of our Republic as follows:-
1. Short title, extent and commencement. - (1) This Act may called the Rajasthan Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1954.
(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Rajasthan including the Abu, Ajmer and Sunel areas but excluding the Sironj sub-division specified in clause (c) of sub-section (1) of Section 9 of the States Re-organisation Act, 1956 (37 of 1956).
(3) It shall come into force at once.
2. Interpretation. - (1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) "Bhoodan Yagna" means the movement initiated by Shri Acharya Vinoba Bhave for acquisition of land through" voluntary gifts with a view to distribute it to landless persons or to use it for community purposes;
(b) "Bhoodan declaration" means the declaration made or deemed to be made under Section 11 of this Act;
(c) "Board" means the Bhoodan Yagna Board established under Section 3 of this Act;
(d) "Community purposes" means any purpose of public utility including sites for compost pits, for public latrines, for schools or school farms, for health centres, for recreation, for grazing and for other similar purposes;
(e) "Grantee" means the person to whom land is granted in pursuance of Bhoodan Yagna under this Act;
(f) "Land" means land which is occupied or let for agricultural purposes or for purposes subservient to agriculture or for pasture;
(g) "Owner" means a person having a proprietary or occupancy tenant right in land and includes a State grantee;
(h) "Landless person" means a person holding no land less than the area which may be prescribed in this behalf;
(i) "Revenue Officer" in any of the provisions of this Act means Tehsildars or any other Revenue Officers, as may be appointed by the State Government by notification in the Official Gazette for the purposes of this Act;
(j) "Prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; and
Explanation. - Words and expressions not defined in this Act shall have the meaning assigned to them in the law relating to land tenures for the time being in force.
3. Establishment and incorporation of the Bhoodan Yagna Board. - (1) There shall be established a Board by the name of the Rajasthan Bhoodan Yagna Board.
(2) The Board shall be a body corporate having perpetual succession and common seal with power to acquire, hold, administer, transfer and dispose of property, both movable and immovable, and shall, by the said name, sue and be sued.
4. Constitution of the Board. - (1) The Board shall consist of the following, namely:-
(a) The Chairman and the Secretary to be nominated by the State Government, and
(b) Six or more but not exceeding ten members to be nominated by The State Government.
(2) The nomination of the Chairman, the Secretary and of the member shall be notified in the Rajasthan Gazette
(3) The Chairman, the Secretary and members of the board shall hold office for four years from the date of the notification under sub-section (2) and shall be eligible for re-nomination:
Provided that the Chairman, the Secretary and members of the Board nominated under Notification No. F. 8(26) Revenue/B-68, dated 22nd June, 1976 of the Revenue (Group-IV) Department of the Government of Rajasthan, published in the Rajasthan Gazette (Extraordinary Part IV-C of the even date shall hold office for a period of sixty days from the commencement of the Rajasthan Bhoodan Yagna (Amendment and Validation) Act, 1984, or until a new Board is constituted, whichever is earlier:
Provided further that the Stale Government may remove from office any member of the Board, who has been adjudged an insolvent or has been convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude and also any member who-
(a) has become physically or mentally incapable of acting as such member, or
(b) has so abused his position as to render his continuance in office detrimental to the public interest, or
(c) has failed to perform his duties.